RICHMOND, Va. -- After three weeks of churning competition, Ruby Scoops ice cream shop owner, Rabia Kamara, has made it to the finale episode of "Ben & Jerry's Clash of the Cones" on the Food Network.
You can watch Kamara compete in the last challenge against two other ice cream masters Monday night. The winner will take home $20,000 and a featured spot in a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop or event in the winner's hometown.
Kamara said she's enjoyed the influx of excited, ice cream-crazed customers the show has brought to her shop on West Brookland Park Boulevard since the first episode aired in August.
As a first-generation American that grew up outside of Washington, D.C., she said her life path is not necessarily the norm and being an ice cream maker is something her family finds eccentric.
Kamara said a big part of what drives her is her inner child. She was inspired by food, sweets and ice cream from a young age.
"I carry her with me every day," said Kamara.
But it's bigger than her.
"The fact that other little girls that look like me, and little boys that look like me can watch this and, if they decide they want to make ice cream, they can see someone who looks like them doing it," said Kamara.
"I think that drove me throughout every day, you know. Richmond is a very Black city. And now kids that look like me can come into the shop and say 'mommy, I saw her on TV' or 'she looks just like me, and she's doing what she wants in life'. And I think that's exciting. And that's a lot of what motivates me in general," Kamara added.
Her favorite challenge on the show was in the second episode, where the ice cream masters created a flavor based on actor and rapper Ludacris's favorite desserts.
"The second week, I'm like, who's gonna pop up on screen?' There was Ludacris," said Kamara. "There he was with his cornrowed head like he did when I was 10. And I straight up lost it."
She's hoping Ludacris will roll out to Richmond one day to try his ice cream flavor at her shop in person.
While Kamara said being on the show has been an emotional roller coaster -- with mostly ups -- she is grateful for the experience.
"I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to do it. And even if I don't win, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And now people who would never knew who I was are saying my name is in rooms that I have never been in," Kamara said.
Find out if she takes home the grand prize Monday, Sept. 6 at 9 p.m. ET on the Food Network channel.
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